2 June 2026Buying GuideMega EvolutionPitch BlackPokemonSealed6 min read

Mega Evolution Pitch Black Guide: ETB Contents, Chase Cards & Value (Australia)

By Grailborne

Mega Evolution Pitch Black (ME05) — ETB Contents, Chase Cards & Value (Australia)

Pitch Black is the fifth Mega Evolution–era set and the darkest in tone — built around Mega Darkrai ex and tied to the Mega Dimension DLC of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It lands in Australia on 17 July 2026. Here’s what’s in the box, which cards carry the set, and what the Japanese source set is already telling us — sealed and shipped fast from Brisbane.

Pitch Black (ME05) is a tight 118-card set with six Special Illustration Rares, headlined by Mega Darkrai ex. It is on presale now for the 17 July 2026 Australian release.

⏳ Presale advantage: securing sealed Pitch Black now locks today’s AUD price before release and the first restock scramble — Mega-era Australian allocation runs tight. Prices below are live AUD at Grailborne.

Shop all Pitch Black →

The set at a glance

🎴 118 cards

A tight, focused pool — easier to chase the master set than a big main-series print.

✨ 6 Special Illustration Rares

Cards #112–117 — the top tier that drives sealed demand.

🌑 Mega Darkrai ex is the crown

The set’s marquee chase — a single SIR outvalues a sealed ETB.

🧩 9 packs + Zarude promo

Per ETB, plus the exclusive full-art Zarude you won’t pull from boosters.

What to buy

Every product links straight to its Grailborne page with live AUD pricing — all three are presale for the 17 July release.

Hero product

Elite Trainer Box

9 packs + the exclusive Zarude full-art promo, sleeves and accessories.

$179 AUD

Lock in ETB →

Best hold

Booster Box

Full sealed box — the volume format for holders and Darkrai rippers.

$389 AUD

Lock in box →

Value entry

Booster Bundle

Lower-cost multi-pack entry — the cleanest way to just open the set.

$89 AUD

Lock in bundle →

What’s in the Elite Trainer Box

The Pitch Black ETB is the core sealed opener — nine packs, the set’s exclusive promo and the full accessory kit:

9 booster packs — your shots at the four Mega ex (Darkrai, Zeraora, Chandelure, Excadrill) and the six Special Illustration Rares.
Full-art Zarude promo — an ETB-exclusive foil you won’t pull from boosters.
65 sleeves + 40 energy — plus damage dice, a coin-flip die, a player’s guide, six dividers and a TCG Live code card.

The chase cards

Pitch Black keeps a tight top end — six Special Illustration Rares across a 118-card set, with one carrying the release. Because English drops 17 July, the values below are read from the 1:1 Japanese source set, Abyss Eye (out 22 May 2026), and will shift as English supply arrives:

Card	Secondary (AUD)	Tier
Mega Darkrai ex — SIR (art: Akira Egawa)	~A$620–775	Set-defining
Mega Zeraora ex — Special Illustration Rare	Top-tier	Elite
Gwynn — Special Illustration Rare (Trainer)	Top-tier	Character

AUD-normalised from Japanese (Abyss Eye) secondary at ~1.55; some Abyss Eye Darkrai sales push toward A$900+. Ungraded near-mint; values shift as English supply lands and vary by condition.

What the market is telling us

Our read is value = pull difficulty × character popularity. The Mega Darkrai ex SIR is one of just six SIRs in a 118-card pool — genuinely hard to pull — attached to one of the most recognisable Mythical Pokémon there is. In Japan that card already trades around US$400–500, with some Abyss Eye sales pushing toward US$600, comfortably more than a sealed ETB. When the headline chase exceeds the price of the box, sealed product tends to move.

🌑 Why the character matters: Darkrai headlined a Pokémon feature film (2007’s The Rise of Darkrai) and has stayed a fan-favourite dark Mythical for nearly two decades. Pair that broad recognition with Akira Egawa’s prized high-contrast artwork on the chase and a finite Mega print window, and demand is anchored to the icon, not the hype cycle.

🏆 The Grailborne Take

70/100

Grailborne Index

Pitch Black (ME05): Presale hold — grail-led

Investment-hold rating — weighs set scarcity, character demand, comparables & retail-vs-secondary spread.

•

Firm opportunity — presale lock-in: securing sealed now locks price before the 17 July release and the first restock scramble, when Mega-era AU allocation runs tight.

•

Firm strength — a concentrated top end: the Mega Darkrai ex SIR already outvalues a sealed ETB on the Japanese market — the profile of a set where every ripped box tightens supply of the grail.

•

Icon + artist: a film-headlining Mythical with Akira Egawa artwork and a deliberately tight six-SIR count — icon subject, artist prestige and constrained supply.

•

The honest risk: the values above are carried from the Japanese Abyss Eye set and can reset once English supply lands; the set is top-heavy, so value concentrates in one card. Treat it as a 1–3 year hold on presale conviction, not a release-week flip, and store sealed upright away from heat and sun.

Our read: a grail-led Mega-era set whose case rests on one film-icon chase, plus tight Australian allocation and a real presale lock-in advantage. We keep the Index at 72 because English secondary pricing is unproven and the JP-carried values may reset. If you believe in Darkrai and the Mega era, presale is the entry; if you want proven English comparables, wait for the market to settle.

Grailborne’s mission: as always, Grailborne strives to get modern Pokémon sets into the hands of collectors, investors and rippers — securing inventory in high volumes from the secondary market so there’s always something available for everyone.

Grailborne Index is our own editorial rating, not financial advice. Figures cite indicative sealed-market prices; collectibles can fall as well as rise. Do your own research and buy what you enjoy.

Frequently asked questions

When does Pitch Black release in Australia?

Pitch Black (ME05) is the fifth English Mega Evolution set, releasing 17 July 2026. It’s on presale now at Grailborne, dispatched from Brisbane — securing sealed presale locks today’s AUD price before the release-day restock scramble.

What is the top chase card in Pitch Black?

Mega Darkrai ex (Special Illustration Rare, Akira Egawa artwork) is the marquee chase — roughly A$620–775 read from the Japanese Abyss Eye source set, with some sales higher. It’s one of just six SIRs (#112–117) in the 118-card set, and comfortably outvalues a sealed ETB.

Should I buy the presale or wait for English prices?

Presale suits buyers with conviction on Darkrai and the Mega era: it locks price before release when AU allocation is tight. If you’d rather see proven English secondary comparables first, note the values above are carried from Japan and can reset once English supply arrives — waiting is defensible.

Open or hold — which format?

To open, the Booster Bundle is the best-value rip and the ETB adds the exclusive Zarude promo; the Booster Box suits volume rippers chasing Darkrai. To hold, sealed is the cleaner position on a set this top-heavy — store boxes upright, cool and dry, out of direct sun.

✓ 100% Authentic & Sealed🚚 Fast Tracked Dispatch (Brisbane)📦 Free Shipping over $350💳 Afterpay Available

Set facts per Pokemon.com and published card lists; card values are secondary-market estimates from the Japanese source set (Abyss Eye), AUD-normalised and variable by condition and time. Australian pricing and stock per Grailborne. Pull results vary; general market information, not financial advice.

Topics:Buying Guide Mega Evolution Pitch Black Pokemon Sealed